LICENSING OF IMPORTS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27097, 21 July 1953, Page 8

LICENSING OF IMPORTS

DEFERRED ITEMS ON SCHEDULE

VIEWS OF RETAILERS’ FEDERATION

All deferred items on the import licensing schedule should be granted import licences next year, according to the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation. In the main “D” items are lines —mostly clothing and footwear—in which it has been considered that New Zealand’s requirements in volume are being met by local manufacturers. The president of the Retailers’ Federation (Mr W. G. V. Femle) said yesterday that the retailers’ view was that licences for small quantities of all these “D” items stiould be granted so that the New Zealand public might have the opportunity of seeing what types of goods were being produced overseas and at what prices. They would be able to judge style, value, and quality. The Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. T. Watts) had picked out some of these items when he announced the easing of controls, and retailers were happy that he had given them some relief, but more was considered necessary. At its last council meeting the Retailers’ Federation decided that if licences could not be granted for all “D” items, it considered priority should be given to licences for shirts and. pyjamas, nylon and other synthetic materials, men’s and boys’ wool and union gaberdine coats, women’s and girls’ woven outerclothing, umbrellas, parasols, and sunshades, adult footwear, Christmas wrappings, toilet sets without handles, toys, and combs.

Certain items should be completely free from control in next year’s schedule, in the opinion of the federation. They are women’s full-fashioned stockings of cotton and wool, umbrellas, parasols, and sunshades, children s footwear in sizes from 0 to 13, powder compacts and vanity cases or metal and plastic, and carpet •sweepers.